Zikeus Hōzuki
Zikeus Hōzuki (ホズキジケウ, Hōzuki Zikeus) is a Jōnin-level shinobi hailing from the Village Hidden in the Mist. He is a proficient Water Release user, and has inherited traits of the lineages of both the Hōzuki and Uzumaki Clans from his parents. After leaving the Hidden Mist, he now resides in, and is affiliated with, the Hidden Waterfall Village (Takigakure no Sato). Appearance Zikeus looks a lot like his father, having inherited some traits usual for his clan. He is tall, slim built and agile, although his strength is still considerable, in large parts due to his use of the Hydrification Technique. His hair is long and white of color, and his eyes, originally light purple - a common sight amongst the Hōzukis, now have a darker shade of the color due to him possessing the Rinnegan. His attire consists of a long, azure-colored robe which covers most of his body, and which he wears most of the time. Underneath the robe he wears plain azure garbs with black pants and a thick white rope belt tied in a large knot behind his back, also wearing a black polo neck under it. Around his wrists he wears two summoning bracelets in one of which he stores his blade Kazirami, and in the other one multiple ninja tools (Shuriken, Kunai, Fuuma Shuriken). Personality Zikeus is a complex individual that most people find very hard to understand. Probably due to his Hōzuki lineage and his primary affinity for Water Release techniques, he is very flexible, being able to adapt to new environments, be they social or natural ones. Unlike his mother's clan, the Uzumaki's, however, he is not cheerful and energetic, preferring to keep to himself and often treating others coldly. Friendship holds no value to him, seen how that did not stop him from murdering one of his team comrades. Amongst other things, Zikeus is also a strong supporter of his father's clan, whose name he also carries, vigorously defending it when it comes to either verbal disputes or fighting. History Early Years Zikeus was born in the Hidden Mist Village to parents Naraku Hōzuki, a shinobi in the Mist's military, and Selya Uzumaki, a Missing-Nin Kunoichi from Konohagakure. Unfortunately, his mother died shortly after giving birth to, and naming, the child, leaving only his father to take care of him. Still, this tragedy turned out good in the end, for under his father's influence the young Hōzuki would train hard, learning to use his natural chakra affinity (Water Release), as well as control their clan's ability to turn their bodies into liquid. His training under his father would continue up to his tenth year, after which he was entrusted to his uncle, who was an adept swordsman, in order to learn kenjutsu. The Life of a Shinobi The Academy Zikeus' home training is also the reason why he entered the Academy at such an advanced age - 11 years old. Nevertheless, it was worth it, as it had prepared him for almost all the tests he would have to pass in order to officially become a shinobi. During his stay in the Academy he further improved his chakra control, under the guidance of his sensei, and also learned one or two of the most basic Water Release techniques. He also got the chance to practice his weapons techniques and perform numerous E-rank missions, gathering some real experience. One year after enrolling, the Hōzuki successfully graduated the academy and received the rank of Genin - the lowest of the shinobi. Journeys of a Genin Now officialy a shinobi, Zikeus went on a number of D- and C-rank missions with his sensei and team mates, learning how to operate in conjuction with others in order to achieve the best results possible. During this period of his life, he got to see the world's many wonders, often travelling with his team to distant locations in order to carry out missions, and hone his abilites with both jutsu and ninja tools. It was during this time that he visited Takigakure, the Hidden Waterfall Village, for the first time and was deeply impressed by it. Sadly, it was also marked by pain, for his only remaining parent, his father, was killed while on a classified assignment for the village. Thus it came that the young Hōzuki was now officially entrusted to his uncle. Two years after graduating the Academy, having greatly advanced and improved his skills, Zikeus was allowed to participate in the chūnin exams that were being organised. After reaching the quarter finals, however, he was paired to fight against a proficient Fire Release user and, despite using his cunning and ingenuity, lost to him. He was then nonetheless promoted to chūnin, for the judges had deemed that his creativity in battle would be useful, even if he had lost that one match. From Chūnin to Jōnin It would be another three years, marked by hard training and numerous B-rank missions, before Zikeus would get another chance to advance through the shinobi ranks. In this time period, he trained almost exclusively with his uncle and other members of the Hōzuki clan, almost competely mastering their Hiden, and even starting to consider making his own techniques based on it. This also helped him to improve his Chakra Control, allowing him to utilize a minimal amount of chakra to maximum effect. In addition, he also learned several more powerful Water Release techniques, as well as some supplementary Wind Release ones. During this part of his life, Zikeus visited Takigakure for the second time, and despite having been here before, was once again fascinated by the village's architecture and its people. During his chūnin traning, the young Hōzuki signed the Crustacean Summoning Contract, of which he was later made holder. It was by doing so that he met his personal summon, Mizura, and that the two began building a relationship that would, in addition to everything else, allow them to perform powerful techniques together. Approximately three years after his chūnin promotion, Zikeus would be awarded for his hard work by being made a jōnin of the Hidden Mist village. This marked the beginning of an important part of his life, as he would now have much more responsibility towards the village. Not long after becoming a jōnin, Zikeus was sent on a mission as a part of one of seven teams, tasked with hunting down and eliminating a dangerous shinobi, who treathened to destroy Kirigakure with a rare and powerful dōjutsu.For the better or worse, the team in which Zikeus was found him first. Their opponent, while not fully adept at using the eyes of Six Paths, was able to utilize three chakra natures - Fire, Wind and Lightning - one after the other and proved a difficulty for the team. Zikeus was one of the only two members of his (five-man) team to survive, although severely injured. However, after seeing the power those eyes possessed, the young Hōzuki longed for it, and killed his injured combrade in order to have it all for himself. The eyes were stored in a special liquid that would prevent them from decaying until they were transplanted onto him. Breaking the Illusion Now a jōnin, Zikeus spent the next two years of his life travelling - either on personal or mission trips. He once again, and in fact numerous times, visited the Hidden Waterfall Village, and even permanently rented a room in a hotel there. It was during that period that the young shinobi discovered a surgeon who would transplant the Rinnegan eyes he had stolen two years ago onto him. Due to his physiology, Zikeus was able to quickly adapt to the new eyes, not suffering from any serious pain after the operation. Once he had what he desired, the Hōzuki then proceeded to kill the surgeon. Shortly afterwards he briefly returned to his home village, although his eyes were kept hidden by goggles. It was then that Zikeus realised he had stopped believing in the ideals Kirigakure preached, and thought that the current situation would ultimately lead to the Mist's doom. With this in mind, he officially left the village, setting off to wander the world on his own this time, master new techniques and learn new things. Even though he still holds on to his affiliation with his clan, he is no longer considered a Mist shinobi. A New Beginning After several months of wandering across the world, the young Hōzuki recently decided to officialy relocate to Takigakure, buying himself a dwelling there, instead of living in a rented room, and has now sworn loyalty to the Hidden Village. Skills and Abillities Life Force and Chakra Control Despite having taken the appearance of his father's clan, Zikeus also possesses the genetic material of his mother's clan. As a half-Uzumaki his chakra reserves, stamina and vitality are greatly enhanced, although still inferior to full-blood members of the clan. This resilient life forces brings with it a potential long life-span for him, as well as the abillity to recover from wounds slightly faster than what is considered normal. Due to the training under his father, and later uncle, in using the Hōzuki's Hiden techniques, and because of their complex nature, Zikeus' chakra control is very well developed. This allows him to use minimum chakra to maximum effect when performing techniques. Ninjutsu General Techniques Zikeus is a proficient user of ninjutsu, it being his preferred style of fighting. Although he mainly relies on techniques using nature transformation, like Water and Wind Release ones, he is still capable of performing a wide arsenal of general ninjutsu skills to good effect in combat. Hiden Techniques Due to his lineage as member of two clans profound with their Hiden techniques, and having travelled around the world learning, Zikeus' knowledge of hidden ninjutsu is considerable. His biggest proficiency is in employing his father's clan's Hiden - the Hydrification Technique - and a variety of other techniques derived from it. These techniques would often be combined with either Water Release or Kenjutsu so as to use the former to the fullest and thus increase the effectiveness of the latter. During his travels he learned a technique or two from people whose trust he has earned, such as a unique transformation technique that is passed down in the Land of Demons. Nature Transformation : [[Water Release | Water Release]] Hailing from the Hōzuki Clan, Water Release comes natural to Zikeus. It was discovered he had an affinity for that particular element at young age, so he had the chance to refine his Water techniques through the long training with his father. His mastery over this particular school of nature manipulation has increased to such a degree that he can transform his chakra into a moderate amount of water, allowing him to change the battlefield and have the upper hand even at areas without water, while not exhausting him too much. : [[Wind Release | Wind Release]] Zikeus' secondary chakra affinity is for the Wind Release. Despite preferring to mainly use his Water Release, seeing Wind Release as a weaker alternative only to be used in extreme situations, he still learned how to perform several Wind chakra based techniques. This chakra release, however serves only a supplementary purpose in his battle tactics. Taijutsu Although one of the less developed areas in his fighting style, Zikeus is nevertheless good enough practicioner of taijutsu. He often makes use of his abillity to liquify his body, allowing him more flexibility in taijutsu combat, combining it with his chosen style of taijutsu - the Arhat Fist.. He also employs various techniques derived from his clan's Hiden, as well as chakra-empowered attacks, in order to increase the damage his strikes do. Genjutsu Bukijutsu Fūinjutsu Fūinjutsu Dōjutsu : Rinnegan Due to having stolen this powerful Dōjutsu, and not awaken it himself, Zikeus does not have access to all of its abilities yet. He must learn, step by step, how to utilize it more efficiently, with less chakra expense and how to unlock the hidden powers it possesses. He knows, thus far, how to manifest black, metal rods, how to remotely control another body as an extension of his own and how to manipulate repulsive and attractive powers. Zikeus does not use too much Chakra Receivers to control his Path, for it is always very close to him. The additional body bears numerous such rods embedded into its chest, arms and legs, which are concealed from sight by its clothing. In addition, it has a chakra transfer seal on it, allowing for easier transfer of chakra and compensating for Zikeus inexperience with the technique. The body is an exact replica of its owner (including his usual clothing), for its appearance was modified beforehand using a specific and irreversable technique.